# Should we get a budgie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 13, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455 "2018-11-13T15:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/121 "2019-09-20T18:16:48Z")
Oh man, dramatic turn of events! Glad Morty’s fine. Good work with the stepping up. Our bird room had to be made bird-safe through a progression of incidents, each of which taught us our previous assumptions had been wrong. Let me further recommend “no birds on the floor” ever. Too dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/122 "2019-09-20T19:15:23Z")
:eek::eek: So scary! But what a wonderful happy ending. I’m sure you must be so relieved. With your timid little guy, it would probably be very traumatic for him to clip his wings. I can’t remember your set-up, maybe limit his space a bit? I miss having birds. My very first was a sweet cockatiel whose wing feathers I kept slightly clipped. When I got him, they were completely clipped and he fell like a stone when he tried to fly, poor guy. :rolleyes: That certainly wasn’t acceptable! I let them grow, but we had big, picture windows that we couldn’t cover, and the other choice was keeping him cooped up in one bedroom. I did a modified clip where I only did a couple of wing feathers. He could fly about twenty feet while slowly gliding to the floor. He ended up riding everywhere on my shoulder, and he was happy enough with this compromise. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/123 "2019-09-20T21:19:26Z")
Yay! I subscribed to thread hoping for a happy outcome! No more Bye Bye Birdie! ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/124 "2019-09-21T00:27:48Z")
I’m glad he’s ok. Silly little bird. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/125 "2019-09-21T02:48:18Z")
I’m so glad he’s okay! StG ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/126 "2019-09-21T03:21:21Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > We’re thinking off renaming him Onan. I can’t believe no one else has remarked on this. I’m pleased that God has not yet smited Morty for spilling his seed. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/127 "2019-09-21T18:54:33Z")
Glad to hear he’s okay! I hope you told him off for scaring you like that! LOL ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/128 "2020-01-07T05:00:54Z")
Nothing much too new on the Morty front. He spent more time in his cage between Thanksgiving and Christmas, because a friend’s dog was staying with us. We think the dog was just curious about the critter in the cage - thinking it was a puppy that had gotten locked up for some reason. So we took to calling Morty “the little yellow puppy” and the dog “the big black birdie”. We did not ever have the dog in the room if Morty’s cage was open - we were a bit nervous that the dog would try to play with the little yellow squeaky toy, which would then cease to work. So he’s enjoying his newly restored freedom. He goes through bouts of being unwilling to come step onto my hand (even with millet) and other bouts of running for the door and toward my hand the minute I open it. Still won’t approach me otherwise, and if I try to walk around the room he bolts back to his tree after about 3 steps, but it’s better than nothing. He’ll fly around a couple of loops around the family room one day, then nothing the next, then the next day he’ll venture out again. I’ve been working on making a fountain / birdbath for him off and on for some months. Tried drilling some holes in some stoneware plates but that didn’t work well, finally found some cheap plastic ones at a grocery store, but just didn’t get around to prepping them. I finally tried it last week and the bowl I’d gotten (cheap plastic from Goodwill) **leaked**. So I ordered a stainless steel puppy feeding dish, which arrived today. As soon as I set it up, he seemed intrigued. Still some design changes upcoming - I want to get rid of the plastic tumbler that holds the plate and bowl up, as it seems a bit unstable - but I need to get some more rocks to fill the bottom first or the plate won’t stay put. And I have ideas of using stainless steel wire to turn the center tubing into something that provides a bit of a “shower” effect. [This link](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/znfsmmeyqc5rwor/AACBpUIUi_k0MwjrYCyMeamEa?dl=0) should take you to the uploaded photos, including two videos - one of him checking out the new object (clearly interested, but not sure what it was and a bit timid), then going nuts in the thing about 2 minutes later. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/129 "2020-01-07T11:00:20Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Our cleaning lady has a number of parakeets… who, being healthy young birds, have produced MORE parakeets. > > She wants to give us one. > > I kinda want one. > > She asked us to suggest a name, so she can get it used to it. I suggested Morty - not knowing the sex yet (I didn’t ask), I figured it could be from Rick And Morty, or short for Morticia if he’s a she. > > Lots of questions though. > > I imagine he’ll be relatively hand-tame as he’s been raised by a human. So I assume I just need to get him used to _my_ hand. > > How big an issue would allergies be, with one small bird? Some of us are slightly feather-allergic (though the one who notices it the most also sits in a down-filled easy chair regularly). > > He’d mostly live in the family room - which has a cathedral ceiling and might be a bit drafty. The only less-drafty places would either be very much in the way, or very much out of the way (i.e. no socialization). > > Will a bird be OK in its cage, solo, for 48ish hours if we need to go out of town for short jaunts? > > I’d like the bird to have cage-free time - but also don’t want it at risk - do people clip wing feathers? If so, how??? (or should I take it to a vet for that?). Can they glide a bit if their feathers are trimmed? A friend had a hysterically horrible anecdote involving a a pitcher of margaritas and a free-flying bird who managed to simultaneously drown and embalm itself :eek::eek::eek::eek: (and no, you sickos, they did NOT drink the margaritas… I think…) > > The cage would be 15-20 feet away from the stove. Do we ban our one Teflon frying pan permanently? We have some nonstick ceramic pans - are they okay? > > Any hints on “potty training” a parakeet? I know they can’t be “trained” as well as larger birds, but it’d be nice if we could _reduce_ the splats somewhat when having out-of-cage time. > > If Morty is actually Morticia, do females learn to speak at all? I know males generally do better. Maybe we could record a few phrases on the laptop and have it on a repeat loop overnight to help with teaching phrases. What slightly twisted but not actually obscene phrases should we teach it? “Please sir, what did the parrot do?” seems an obvious one. I have not read this entire thread. But there is one thing I may be able to help you with if no one has already said this. Most people do not seem to know that it is extremely difficult to “sex” a bird - i.e. to find out the gender of a bird. Apparently, it requires a microscope and someone who is trained what to look for. It is not an easy thing to do. For most bird species, you cannot just look at a bird and know the species. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/130 "2020-01-07T11:17:28Z")
Oops. Sorry. My previous post should have ended with … “For most bird species, you cannot just look at a bird and know the gender.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/131 "2020-01-07T16:45:16Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Oops. Sorry. My previous post should have ended with … “For most bird species, you cannot just look at a bird and know the gender.” Yes, but it’s obvious in budgies. The area around a male budgie’s nostrils (the cere) is generally blue, whereas in the female, the cere is anywhere from a whitish color to brown. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/132 "2020-01-08T00:33:49Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Yes, but it’s obvious in budgies. The area around a male budgie’s nostrils (the cere) is generally blue, whereas in the female, the cere is anywhere from a whitish color to brown. I never knew that. Thanks for posting that. It should be very helpful info to anyone considering the purchase of budgies. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/133 "2020-01-08T01:23:17Z")
Morty is adorable. I’m glad he likes his new bathing suite. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/134 "2020-01-08T05:53:45Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > **Mama Zappa** - I’m so glad you’re continuing to give Morty a home even though he isn’t cuddly. Many people would’ve given up. > > StG Most all the birds I have known were eventually conditioned to become cuddly. but it takes time and patience. Ultimately, they all loved to be held and stroked - especially when I talked to them while holding them. Morty is certainly very pretty. I’ve never before seen budgies with that coloring except for Albinos. But Morty does not seem to be an Albino. Do you know if he is Albino? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/135 "2020-01-08T08:48:17Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Most all the birds I have known were eventually conditioned to become cuddly. but it takes time and patience. Ultimately, they all loved to be held and stroked - especially when I talked to them while holding them. > > Morty is certainly very pretty. I’ve never before seen budgies with that coloring except for Albinos. But Morty does not seem to be an Albino. Do you know if he is Albino? One parent was albino, the other was lutino (bright yellow). Morty is, apparently, something called “[creamino](https://www.cutelittlebirdiesaviary.com/creamino-budgies.html)”. I gather it can be tougher to sex those based on cere color; his is sort of a pinkish tan. When I posted a photo of him on a bird forum, several people said “Morty is a hen” until I described his parentage. The cleaning lady felt his pelvis and said he’s male. I dunno. He’s shown no signs of warming up to hoomans or of vocalizing, which is behavior more female-ish, but since we don’t currently have a companion for him it’s not an urgent matter. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/136 "2020-02-26T20:48:59Z")
Bumpdate! Morty has shown increasing willingness to approach me. Not to deliberately get on my hand or anything, but he’s started investigating my computer table. Sometimes he’ll climb up the cable from the floor to the table, and then hop onto the desk, and walk around a bit. He’ll usually alternate brave days (where he flies around the room a few times, and approaches the computer table) with stay-at-home days where he just goes between his cage and his play tree. A couple weeks back though he got _really_ brave. He landed on the railing separating the kitchen from the two-steps-down family room, just behind where I sit. Then he climbed around the computer desk and even under it and onto the couch right next to me. At one point he hopped onto my leg, then a little while later he actually hopped onto my chest (I have photographic proof!). I think he regretted that though - my sweater was a bit fuzzy and when he tried to vacate, his claws got slightly stuck. He hasn’t done that since!! I’ve gotten in the habit of putting a couple bits of millet into a shallow dish and setting it on various different places around the room - a different place (of 3 or 4 spots) each day. He’s gotten to the point of chirping at me each morning until I come and spring him and get out the goodies. Today was a big day for him though - Rick has arrived. I had thought our cleaning lady would bring him over in a small cage, and I’d put the two cages near each other so they could get acquainted at a distance - but she brought him to me **rolled in a towel** :eek:. As in, she walked in, and without explanation handed me a rolled up towel. I was confused, and glanced down - and saw this tiny bird head sticking out of one end of the roll. To visualize, think of a “pig in a blanket” only the hot dog portion was the size of a Vienna sausage and the “blanket” was the size of a hot dog bun. So I had to rush him over to the cage (where Morty was still incarcerated, as I didn’t want him out while the cleaner was here), and unroll the towel and let him out into the cage. Poor critter hid in the corner for a while. Ultimately he got up on a perch and Morty began to pay attention. I got a snap of Morty preening him a bit. I think Morty has been pestering him a bit since then - I occasionally hear bursts of annoyed-sounding chittering from over there. Poor li’l tweety. He was happy with his flock, then the Big Wingless Bird chased him, caught him, rolled him in a towel, and brought him to a strange place with a strange bird - and now of course he’s in a small place (it’s a big cage - just not the size of a whole room like he had before). I don’t quite dare let him out, because of course he doesn’t know this is home and I worry he’ll bolt and get lost. His wings have NOT been clipped - which in general pleases me, though I can’t help thinking that for the transition it wouldn’t have been a bad thing. Morty’s a bit bored too, since of course i can’t let him wander without risking Rick getting into trouble. He’s a very unusual color pattern - looks like he’s wearing camo. He’s a combination of black and dark green all over. [Pics!](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/znfsmmeyqc5rwor/AACBpUIUi_k0MwjrYCyMeamEa?dl=0) ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/137 "2020-02-27T02:19:14Z")
I didn’t know you were getting a Rick! Congrats!I loved the video on Morty in his water feature. StG ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/138 "2020-02-27T02:20:45Z")
I didn’t know you were getting a Rick! Congrats!I loved the video on Morty in his water feature. StG ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/139 "2020-02-27T15:45:41Z")
Rick had an adventure this morning. I opened the cage and got out a dish of millet for Morty; he hopped onto it and i moved it to the side. While I was sitting right in front of the cage, Rick decided to make a break for it. I couldn’t see where he went at first. Then I walked around the kitchen and he flew from one place to another. He finally made his way back to the mantel just behind the cage (meanwhile, Morty was on his play tree ignoring us both). Then he bolted again toward the kitchen. At one point he and Morty were chirping back and forth at each other, so I figured he might eventually head back toward “home”. He finally wound up in a corner, on the floor behind some boxes; I was able to move a box and capture him with my hands. Poor little guy was trembling with fear. I carried him to the cage and set him inside, and he seems relieved. Right now both birds are in the cage, with the door open. Mostly ignoring each other though I think Morty is trying to preen Rick right now. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455/140 "2020-02-27T16:02:28Z")
That’s good that Rick calmed down after you took him back to his cage. He’ll probably look to you as his rescuer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-get-a-budgie/824455.md?page=8)